Elections were held for all the seats in the National Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.

Background and outcome of elections:

The electoral campaign for the municipal and legislative elections of 19 October 2001 got under way on 3 October 2001, with 15 political parties vying for seats in Parliament. The two weeks and three days campaign, was calm climate with no major incidents.

These elections were the first that the opposition had not boycotted since a multi-party system was introduced a decade ago. The main reasons for the boycotts had been allegations that the government had rigged the elections to remain in power. The 2001 elections were marked by innovations, including the new computerised national identity card, which reassured voters. Turnout came to some 55 per cent of the 1,028,630 registered voters, i.e. much more than in 1996, when the corresponding figure failed to top 30 per cent.

Victory went to the Democratic and Social Republican Party (PRDS), with 54 out of the 81 seats in the National Assembly. Action for Change (AC) won four seats, while the Rally for Democracy and Unity (RDU), the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD), and Union of the Progressive Forces (UFP) and the Union for Democracy and Progress (UDP) picked up three seats each. The Popular Front won one seat.

On 4 November 2001, the President of the Republic appointed Mr. Cheikh El Avia Mohamed Khouna as Prime Minister. On that same day, the National Assembly picked Mr. Rachid Ould Saleh as its Speaker.